


The Art of Having Game

by EtherealNyx



Series: Pre-Game Galar Works [16]
Category: Pocket Monsters | Pokemon (Main Video Game Series), Pocket Monsters | Pokemon - All Media Types, Pocket Monsters: Sword & Shield | Pokemon Sword & Shield Versions
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Awkward Crush, Established Relationship, First Dates, M/M, Pre-Canon, Pre-Relationship, these are relevant tags I swear
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-10-03
Updated: 2019-10-03
Packaged: 2020-10-17 21:11:10
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,527
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20627612
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/EtherealNyx/pseuds/EtherealNyx
Summary: You can keep embarrassing yourself, but there’s always someone worse. Hopefully.In which no one has game because the title is a humorous ruse.(Somehow a direct continuation of It's Tea Time Somewhere. Somehow.)





	The Art of Having Game

**Author's Note:**

> This is one of the ones that actually *gasp* went through a rewrite before publishing it ‘cause I was so embarrassed. I usually produce okay work without worry, but this one really stressed me out. Genuinely forgot an entire plot point, removed mentions of it, and then added it back in, among other things,,, rip
> 
> But, yes, this is the product of me agonizing a bit over how to make dialogue as awkward as possible. I hope y’all enjoy this!

**okay get this what if we just boycott the cafe**

**you slowpoke we don’t even live near there**

**but it’s a show of support!!! gay rights!**

**i can’t even with you right now shut U P**

~~

“You currently have 78 notifications and counting, bzzt! Would you like to respond?”

“Nope! Please turn off notifications.”

“But there’s-”

“ _ Please. _ ” 

“... Oh, alright.”

~~

** _Champion Leon on the Move!_ **

_ Is this connected to the recent rise in Pokémon thefts? Stay tuned! _

~~

“Are you sure you don’t want notifications on? There’s a lot of missed calls, bzzt!”

“Yeah, I’m sure.”

“Are you really,  _ really  _ sure?”

“Uh huh.”

“But maybe you’re not. Bzzt, can I please turn them back on?”

“How many are there?” 

“... 150.”

“Then no!” 

“Hm… Okay, but don’t say I didn’t warn you!”

“ _ What _ ?”

“...”

“Rotom, what are you talking about? Rotom? Hello?”

“...” 

“... You suck.”

* * *

Leon burst into the room just as he was commencing on stage 4 of his funk. “Hop, holy fuck!”

The boy in question was currently trying to suffocate himself with a pillow. It wasn’t working. “What?” He mumbled, but it came out more as a dejected ‘Mmm?’ 

“You didn’t answer my calls!” The unquestionably invincible Galarian champion complained, on the verge of either nagging him or whining about it. “Haven’t you seen the news?!?”

“About Victor and I?” Hop cringed, rolling over to participate properly in the conversation. “I’m trying to forget it.”

“Eh?” Leon quirked an eyebrow. “I have no idea what you’re talking about! We can talk about your boyfriend drama later. You  _ really _ haven’t been paying attention to the news?”

Still choking over the implications of ‘boyfriend drama’, it took him a moment to process what his older brother was going on about. “No, I really haven’t. Did you come all this way to tell me about the minor league again?”

The violent shake of his head and his trembling hands told Hop it was something much bigger than that. “Your favorite coordinator’s coming to watch the Champion Cup!” Leon cheered. “Isn’t that exciting?!?”

“ _ Lisia? _ ” He gawked. Normally, he’d be over the moon. Even though he wasn’t part of that life anymore (the thought caused a pang in his chest), Hop had always dreamt of meeting her one day. But now? When he felt like a lumbering oaf? She’d think him a joke, and he knew it. After all, he was one. “... That’s pretty cool.”

Instantly, his brother frowned deeply. “Okay, spill. What is  _ up  _ with you? I was totally expecting you to burst my eardrums!” 

_ Woo! It’s a date! _

Four simple words, right? Innocuous even! But Hop knew what he meant, and that meant  _ Victor  _ knew what he meant because Victor always seemed to know everything. He grimaced at the thought. Sure, they both liked each other, but what if Victor was too embarrassed to talk to him the next time they met? He wasn’t entirely sure if he could handle that without becoming an overly sappy mess to compensate.

“Hop. You are oozing melodrama all over my shoes.” Leon interjected bluntly. “Just tell me! I’m dying from suspense!”

The young boy took a deep breath. “IWASTOOCHICKENTOTELLVICWEWEREONADATEANDASKEDHIMONANOTHERBYACCIDENT-“

“Woah! Slow down!”

“ _ I was too chicken to tell Victor that we were having a date and I accidentally asked him on another one, so now he’s totally going to think I’m a lame weirdo! _ ” Hop cried out before grabbing his trusty pillow and screaming into it.

A second passed.

“Bwahaha!” Leon clutched at his sides, overcome by raucous laughter. “Honestly, if he didn’t know you were one before, he probably won’t even notice!”

“That’s not  _ funny! _ ” He snapped. “He’s my best friend, you know! I don’t want to ruin his image of me!” 

If there was one thing his older brother knew how to do well, it was projecting an aura of seriousness. (He just usually didn’t feel like it.) “Look, it’s not the end of the world. Like you said, you’re best friends. Even with mushy feelings being involved, you both understand each other very well, and Victor’s not the judgmental kind. Just talk to him about it!” 

This was said with such firmness that Hop felt compelled to listen. It took him a moment to actually go through the necessary logistics in his head though. “Where though? On the phone?” He asked, wishing for the white noise plaguing him to disappear.

“What? No.” Leon shot him a look that only served to drive the point home. “In person! On your date!”

“I don’t think I can do that.” Hop admitted, hugging the white lump to his chest.

“And why not?”

He averted his gaze, shame building up in his gut. “What if I make a fool of myself again?” It happened sometimes. Someone he liked would make his heart jump, and then he’d fumble and ruin things. Crushes made him feel more awkward than he was used to. He wanted to get to a stage of affection and understanding, a point where he could continue feeling comfortable and safe. Was that really so wrong?

Hop heard the low sigh before Leon pulled him into a tight hug. “Hey, everyone does that at some point, even if it’s just in front of a friend or person you admire! Just ask Milo!”

“Milo?” He turned to look at his brother, only to be surprised by his pained expression. “What about him?”

“Well,” Leon said with a sheepish chuckle, “our first date was such a disaster that he didn’t go on another one with me for like… 2 years.”

“2?!?” That was a shock to the system if there ever was one. Hop genuinely liked Leon’s friends. They were good for him. Grounding. Milo, of course, was a little more than that, but he never seemed anything else than pleased with Leon’s company. 2 years… He couldn’t even picture it.

“Oi, don’t rub it in!” He groaned. “I know! I was an idiot! Nessa gave me an award for ‘causer of the most secondhand embarrassment with one story’!” 

_ Nessa, huh?  _ “You gotta tell me about it now! It’s your solemn duty to cheer me up, you know! That’s sibling law!” He neglected to mention that Gloria originally coined it as  _ cousin  _ law, and routinely used it to get Victor to give her shoulder massages.

“You’re such a brat sometimes, I swear!” The verbal jab was light and teasing; the sudden noogie wasn’t. Hop struggled for a moment to get away before resigning himself to his fate. There was a life full of ruined hairdos ahead of him. (At least, until his growth spurt.)

“Yeah, but will you tell me?”

For a second, Leon was completely unreadable. Hop suddenly got the impression that he was talking to a wall.  _ Don’t be silly!  _ He scolded himself.  _ That’s your brother! He’s even more open than Gloria! _

“ _ Ugh _ .” He groused again, shattering the tension building. “Fine. But only ‘cause you asked. Don’t go around telling your friends either!”

“I promise I won’t!” Hop reassured him. “Who’d believe me anyway?”

Leon shrugged with a wink. “You’ve got me there! Anyway, it all started back when I was your age…”

* * *

  
  


_ “I honestly can’t tell you when I started liking him, but I was a sorry sight. Sonia got sick of it and told me to do something nice before she exploded, but I honestly had no idea what to do. See, the media seems to think I’m some natural romantic, which is funny because I’m not. Can you believe that?” _

_ “Yeah.” _

_ “Screw you too, Hop.” _

~~

Leon flipped through the magazine, almost too jittery to focus on the headlines. He suspected that Sonia wanted him to read certain articles - she had circled the ‘unlucky in love?!?’ one in red ink three times - but another on the front page had caught his eye.  _ Lure out Gossifleur with these simple baited traps! Even a kid could do it!  _ If he could streamline the process and find a shiny, it’d make a lovely gift.

_ Gossifleur aren’t that difficult to catch too.  _ He thought to himself.  _ And their reproduction rates are steady. I wouldn’t be messing with the local fauna too much! He’d like that!  _

With a wistful sigh, he kept skimming. Really, he didn’t get why he was so nervous. Milo was a very placid individual; even if he was rejected, Leon knew without a shadow of a doubt that his nightmares would never come to pass. Still, the mental picture of being left alone, hungry and in the dark, was striking. No wonder Nessa thought he was weird.

_ Lure out-  _ There! Though the drawing of the Pokémon looked a lot more like one about to evolve, the ideas presented seemed to apply to the younger variety. He carefully highlighted the one about the honey trap before scribbling in the margins about accounting for bigger Pokémon. Depending on the area, using honey traps could be a death sentence. 

Leon was so absorbed in his reading that he didn’t notice a certain someone approach. They tapped his shoulder gently. “Leon?”

He jerked away with a startled yell. “Oh!” came out, a bit too loudly. “Don’t scare me like that, Milo!”

The boy chuckled lightly, the sound being utterly discordant with his build. “S’not my fault you’re such a Torchic! Don’t go ‘round kickin’ buckets on  _ my  _ account.”

Yellow eyes peeked out from behind a curtain of purple. “I wasn’t planning on it…?” Leon trailed off uncertainly. “Do you, uh, need anything? Is lunch ready?”

“Yup! I was comin’ to get ya. Whatcha readin’ all intently, huh?” Milo leaned over to peer at the page, forever the nosy one of the group. Sonia had a theory that all Unovans were like that. Leon was certain it was a Milo thing. Nessa remained undecided.

“There’s a good article on Gossifleur traps in here.”  _ There we go! An opening!  _ “Um, speaking of those, would you like to try one out with me?”

A lot of people looked at Leon. The shining star. The unbeatable teen. Galarians had a lot of eyes, and a good chunk remained fixated on him, no matter what he did. But Milo didn’t look at him like everyone else. He stared thoughtfully, like he could map out every aspect of his being if he put enough effort into it. The mere concept horrified him.

“There are worse ideas for dates.” Milo said with a hum, ignoring the choking noise that came out of his throat. “But I’d like to not cook for once. We can talk ‘bout it later, mmkay? I made toast curry!” 

He ducked out of the tent, leaving Leon to cope with his flustered thoughts. For someone who tried his best to follow his goals with a great deal of improvisation, he was finding it hard to adapt to this new reality. Usually, Milo was far more passive, happy to let people exhaust themselves before coming in and wrecking their teams. He never really took initiative, except where plants and related Pokémon were concerned. 

_ Oh no.  _ A thought dawned on him. Horror bubbled up within him as he how often Milo compared him to dandelions. I’m  _ the plant. _

~~

“ _ You  _ are  _ the plant.” _

_ “Stuff it, Hop, Mum named you after a beer ingredient.” _

_ “YOU TAKE THAT BACK OR SO HELP ME-” _

~~

After a day of deliberation, the two boys decided to go out for lunch at a nice restaurant in the next town. Sonia promised she wouldn’t burn their hotel room down while they were gone. Nessa promised she would, but wouldn’t get caught. (As a general rule, mostly to preserve his sanity, Leon only took her words seriously once a month. Twice if she mentioned Titanic.)

The place Milo selected was cozy. “Reminds me of home!” He told him happily. It did seem like a rather Unovan establishment, so Leon wasn’t surprised. He just hoped the food would be alright.

Before they were seated, he absentmindedly patted his pocket. Hm. Something was off there. 

_ SHIT!  _ Leon’s eyes widened into saucers as it hit him.  _ My wallet! I must have left it back on my bunk!  _ If he were to tell Milo, it’d be absolutely embarrassing, but how could he pay without it? 

Head hung low, he tapped the boy on the shoulder. “Hey,” he whispered, “sorry for being such a space cadet, but I kinda sorta maybe accidentally left my wallet back at the hotel room…?”

“Oh, that’s fine.” Milo said automatically. “See, I noticed it on yer bed, so I grabbed it for ya! I was wonderin’ how long it’d take for it to hit ya though!” With a flourish, the redhead handed it over. Once again, Leon questioned exactly what life experiences were formative for this boy as a child.

~~ 

_ “I didn’t know it then, but that was the first bad omen.” _

~~

  
  


Their conversation was utterly mundane at first. They jumped from gym strategies (‘well, I obviously need a ghost type, it’s perfect!’ ‘but you won’t be able to affect them either.’) to family (‘Hop keeps begging me for dolls, can you believe it?’ ‘mmhm! sounds ‘bout right!’) at a rapid pace. Somehow, he got the idea stuck in his head that stopping would be another nail in his metaphorical coffin. 

“And the funny part is,” Leon laughed, “I don’t even know who Kabu is!” 

Milo dissolved into a fit of giggles. “Poor Kabu!” He managed to get out, cheeks flushed from exertion.

_ Wow.  _ He couldn’t help but stare. Being the funny friend was exhausting at times, but there was something close to magical about getting to see this. Gratitude filled his heart over the unexpected gift.

The boy across from him fanned his face, slowly regaining his composure with each wave. “You’re somethin’ else.” Milo said fondly, his odd eyes sparkling in the light.

Leon promptly choked on his own spit.  _ Again. _

“Leon?!?” His travel buddy leaned over the table, overflowing with concern. “What’s wrong?”

Unable to reply, he continued to cough.  _ Windpipes are real traitors!  _ He’d later remember thinking in a panicked haze.  _ Throats aren’t meant to burn like this! _

Milo stood. “I’ll go get some wa-”

Everything happened in slow motion. He reached out to pat the other boy’s arm, just to let him know that going out of his way was unnecessary. Instead, his fingers hit glass.

Both boys froze.

Good news: Leon wasn’t coughing anymore! Bad news: he had just spilled sticky,  _ cold  _ lemonade all over his date.

“... Gross.” Milo whispered softly. The repulsed look on his face was more potent than any Sonia could conjure up. He had never seen a person radiate with disgust before that moment. It scared Leon a little, for there was no way to tell what it was directed towards.

Miserable, he bowed his head. “I’m so sorry!” He apologized. “Lemme get you some napkins!”   
  
His date’s expression turned blank. “Nah, stay here. I’ll be quick.” 

Waiting for Milo to come out of the bathroom was an incredibly awkward experience. The other patrons seemed to be valiantly pouring all of their energy into pretending he didn’t exist, and Leon couldn’t blame them. He wished the earth would just swallow him up whole.

It was a dangerous wish, but he didn’t know that then either. There was only the feeling of shame, the raincloud ruining his parade.

The waitress approached him tentatively, armed with a wad of napkins. “You alright, sugar?” She asked.

“Yes, ma’am.” He said automatically, not wanting to get into it. “I can handle cleaning this for you.” 

Leon reached out for the napkins. She didn’t hand them over. “It’s fine, kiddo.” She told him. “Mistakes happen! You win some, you lose some.”

“But…” He paused, unsure of what to say. “I  _ don’t _ lose.”  _ And I don’t want to. _

She stopped scrubbing at the puddle for a moment. “Kid. Can I give you some advice?”

“You’re going to give it to me anyway.” This was absolutely, without a doubt, an Unovan thing. Their people would randomly launch into deep monologues before starting even the most mundane tasks.

  
“That I am!” The waitress - no, Bailey - had a smile like the Samhain moon. “Look, everyone loses sometimes. Life’s not all about battles and contests. And at your age, it’s easy to lose. Even now, bits and pieces of your childhood are falling away, and you don’t even notice them. Entire parts of you go missing, and we call that ‘growing up’. So, yes, you lose. But you also win new pieces of the puzzle that makes up your being. This will just be another part of that. Trust me.”

Leon stared her down. “I don’t really understand.” He said honestly. The words themselves made sense, but the  _ meaning _ passed over his head. No doubt what mattered was the part he couldn’t comprehend. It always seemed to work like that.

“That’s alright!” Bailey rose, rolling her shoulders as she went. “All I ask is that you try to remember it. You might never know what it means, but it’s important to etch good things into your heart.” 

His head was spinning. “I… Okay. Thank you...?” 

She turned away with a nod. “Your food should be here shortly, sugar. And here comes your friend now. Good luck!”

Every so often, his fellow Galarians surprised him. So many people would spend their entire lives in one space, attached to the land and beings around them.  _ When I become champion,  _ he thought suddenly,  _ I want to do right by them.  _ It was an intense thought. A scary thought. He wasn’t sure where the sudden conviction came from, and the notion of investigating further unnerved him.

Milo’s return was a pleasant distraction; his lovely smile was back where it belonged. “Sorry for the wait! It took a long while to make myself all spiffy again.”

“That’s fine!” Leon exclaimed, still feeling like a major prat. “We can go if you want!”   
  
“Nah, I still have a big ole appetite.” He rubbed his stomach in a show of hunger. “I’m sure the food here is nice! It’s got 5 stars!”

Before he could help himself, he snorted. “I’m not laughing at you!” Leon said hastily, knowing that the pink-haired boy disliked being made to feel like a joke. “You just reminded me of Mum for a moment. And, uh, Hop too!” It was probably a faux pas to compare a date to your parent, but he wasn’t sure.

“Ah, I see!” Milo relaxed. “Why don’t you tell me about them, hm?”   
  
The date continued.

They split the bill after a lot of arguing. Milo’s insistence that paying 50/50 was best became entirely too forceful. Leon hated to admit it, but he caved. After they both tipped Bailey, they stumbled out into the afternoon, laughing at a joke they eventually forgot. 

The cool air felt good on his skin. It was a sensation that gave him courage, a wonderful ally to back up the hope resting within him. Slowly, he reached out his hands. Fingers brushed against his, so very gentle and kind.

Milo stopped walking. “Leon.” They turned towards each other, both thinking very different thoughts. “I think we should stay friends for now!”   
  
A sharp pain lanced through his chest. “Huh?”

“I mean it!” Milo told him, almost stern. “Ya have so many things and people to worry about right now. I don’t want yer focus to be thrown off by anything, okay? How can ya be a good rival to Sonia like that? How can you make yer family proud if you’re not givin’ it yer all?!?” 

Leon took a step back from his intense words. Could feelings really be so distracting? Where was all of this coming from?

The other boy sighed. “I don’t mean to hurt ya. Our hearts are the same, okay? But today… I want good things for all of us. We can’t afford to slow down now, right?”

There was a desperation to his words.  _ Please try to understand!  _ Milo seemed to say without speaking.  _ I don’t want to hurt anyone!  _ Leon could understand that need to distance himself through his words. He could grasp that longing for the diffusion of responsibility, that atonement for guilt.

“You’re right!” Leon told him, putting on a happy face. “We’re in this to win! We can worry about other stuff later.”

But the awkwardness still remained. They didn’t talk freely again for a week, much to the amusement of their companions. And, even after the fateful Champion Cup, they didn’t try again for two more years.

In the end, it worked out okay. But, at that moment, during that fateful afternoon, all he felt was wrong.

* * *

  
  


“That’s rough, buddy.” Hop patted his shoulder. “You’re right! I can’t possibly top that!”

Leon’s eye twitched. “I don’t even know why I visit you! You get worse with age!”

The young boy laughed. His older brother didn’t know it, but his story had given him an idea. He could only hope that it’d all work out, just like how it did between the two adults he looked up to.

But hey! You won some, and you lost some. That was the way of the world. And no one knew that better than a Galarian.

**Author's Note:**

> Oh, right. Notes. Cool!
> 
> \- I make fun of this cast endlessly. They’re my muses, but also my butt monkeys. Poor guys. Even an unreleased potential character can’t escape my jokes. 
> 
> \- Each Rotom phone that’s an ‘experimental model’ in my works has a weird quirk to it. Marnie’s wants to revolt. Hop’s phone on the other hand has two issues. One’s a secret!!! The other is that it’ll do things against what Hop wants out of worry.
> 
> \- Originally, Milo was gonna be there too in the beginning, but I felt like writing the brothers interacting on their own. I idealize sibling relationships a lot for stuff like this because of [insert Nyx lore here], so it was fun to do!
> 
> \- Skipping past all the awkwardness, I think it’s interesting to see how truly competitive Galar is. I could write a whole essay on it (and after the games come out, maybe I will share my thoughts on what aspiration means in the context of the story), but I’m just doing setup now for my thoughts on it! I feel for Leon though, I really do. It’s hard to suddenly find yourself at the top. 
> 
> Normally, I’d have more to say, but I’m still cringing over how awkward this felt to me~ Thanks for reading though!!! It’s really appreciated! My Tumblr’s bi-hop if you ever wanna talk! People say I’m funny or something. ^^


End file.
